An insanely happy dog

I’m generally not all that interested in plastering my photographs on mugs, bags and other merchandise. At the risk of sounding pompous, my work means too much to me to subject it to that kind of treatment.

But then… there are some images that actually cry out to be shared in this way. Maybe this is where art and craft diverge.

Take this one, for instance.

This is our sprollie Cézanne. (A sprollie is a springer spaniel crossed with a border collie – mad on one side, obsessive on the other, clever on both counts.)

This was his first encounter with the sea, on a proper beach. The picture was taken at Tréompan, in Finistère, Brittany. We’d just arrived and had let the dogs out to stretch their legs after a long drive. And, as you can see, Cézanne was insanely happy about the whole deal.

He loves to fetch. Indeed, he lives to fetch. In this picture, he’s waiting for me to throw a ball. Or maybe it was a bit of kelp. He’s not fussy, so long as you throw something.

This picture makes me happy.There’s nothing deep or significant about it as an image. It’s just an expression of pure joy.